On the way to his asylum hearing at 26 Federal Plaza this morning, Marco Saavedra first stopped across the street at the African Burial Ground National Monument. The site is the final resting place of an estimated 15,000 Africans, many of them enslaved. He “took a moment of silence to breathe in the place that we’re in,” he later told journalists. It was a characteristic moment for Saavedra: using the spotlight cast on him to point to other injustices, and remaining distinctly aware that the land upon which we live has a complex history.
Saavedra is the son of Natalia Mendez and Antonio Saavedra, owners of the beloved La Morada restaurant in the South Bronx’s Mott Haven neighborhood. The restaurant, whose name refers both to the color purple and to a shelter or abode, is known equally for its authentic Oaxacan cuisine and its role as a hub for community organizing. Marco works there full-time as a waiter and manager. He is also a prominent undocumented activist with a track record of direct actions that have led the U.S. government to open deportation proceedings against him.
Saavedra’s years of work in the community mean that he has an unusual level of support. Before entering today’s hearing, in which a judge was expected to rule on his request for political asylum, Saavedra marched once around the Jacob Javits Federal Building, flanked by over a hundred supporters: family members, friends, clergy, academics, restaurant patrons, and even a group of undergraduates from his alma mater, Kenyon College, in Ohio. An additional 4,000 people have expressed their support via an online petition.
The Saavedra family originally anticipated today’s hearing would last about two hours. Instead, it ran closer to eight. From inside the court late this afternoon, WNYC’s Beth Fertig reported that the judge did not reach a decision, but instead “asked both sides to submit final arguments in writing in January.”
In an interview yesterday with Democracy Now!, Saavedra explained his case for asylum: because of his history as a human rights and immigrant rights activist, as well as his status as an indigenous person and religious minority, he would not be safe if deported to Mexico. At a press conference before the march and hearing this morning, Saavedra’s lawyer, Bryan Johnson, elaborated on how high the stakes were for his client…